Wire-stretcher.



F. COLLEY.

WIRE STRETGHER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 23, 1912.

1,056,777. Patented Mar.25,1913.

Snow 14 flan Culley.

.UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK COLLEY, OF PELI-IAM, GEORGIA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-THIRD TO 3'. J'.HILL AND ONE-THIRD T0 C. G. LOTT, 0F PELHAM, GEORGIA.

WIRE-STRETOHER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 25, 1913.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK CoLLnY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Pelham, in the county of Mitchell and State of Georgia, haveinvented certain'new and useful Improvements in VVire-Stretchers, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to devices for stretching wire and especially todevices for stretching barb wire fencing, and has for one of its objectsthe provision of a stretcher that is self-feeding.

My invention also has for its object the provision of a wire stretchercomprising a lever adapted to be secured in any suitable manner to afixed post and provided with a pairs of arms pivotally secured theretoand so connected together that the free terminals of said arms worktogether and are provided with claws adapted to engage the barbs on thewire and intermittently exert pull on the wire, the claws on one armstretching the wire when the lever is moved in one direction, while theclaws on the other arm move outwardly to engage the wire and in turnstretch it when the lever is moved in the opposite direction.

My invention will described in detail here inafter and illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a plan view partly in section of my improved wire stretcher;Fig. 2, a cross section on the plane indicated by the line 2-2 of Fig. 1looking in the direction of the arrow; Fig. 8, an end view of the wireengaging arms; Fig. 4, a fragmental view of the inner side of one of thearms; and Fig. 5, a viewin perspective of one of the claw members.

In the drawings similar reference characters will be used to designatecorresponding parts throughout the several views.

My improved wire stretcher comprises a lever 1 having a link 2 pivotallysecured thereto intermediate of its ends and adapted to be secured bymeans of a chain or other flexible element 3 with a post or other fixeddevice, (not shown). One terminal of the lever 1 is provided with asocket 4 in which is adapted to be mounted the end of an operating lever5.

Pivotally secured to the lever 1 on opposite sides of the link 2 arearms 6 and 7 having bifurcated portions 8 through which pivot pins 9 areextended, said pivot pins engaging the lever 1. The arms 6 and 7 areprovided with slots 10 and 11 respectively, the end walls of said slotsbeing beveled in both directions as shown at 12 and 18 respectively. 1

14 indicates a bar extended through the slots 10 and 11 and having pins15 extended through its terminals. The bar 14 is provided on one of itssides with a boss or projection 16, the ends of said boss or projectionbeing curved as shown at 17, said curved ends engaging the adjacentsides of the arms 6 and 7.

18 indicates a coiled spring connecting the arms 6 and 7 and locatedbetween the lever 1 and the bar 14, said spring operating to normallyhold the free terminals of said arms in engagement.

From the' construction heretofore described, it will be apparent that byrocking the lever 1 on the pivot oft-he link 2, the free terminals ofthe two arms 6 and 7 will be moved relatively to one another, said armsmoving back and forth as the lever 1 is rocked and being limited intheir move-- ment toward one another by means of the boss 16 on the bar14, while the engagement of the adjacent sides of the arms 6 and 7 withthe boss 16 is insured by the action of the spring 18.

The opposite side of the bar 14 from the boss 16 is recessed as shown at19 to permit the passage of the wire that is stretched, and secured tothe adjacent sides of the arms 6 and 7 in alinement with the recess 19,are plates 20 having their forward terminals bent back on themselves andformed with claws 21, said claws being as shown in Fig.

with one or the other of the claws 21 on the plates 20. Then byoscillating the lever 1, the arms 6 and 7 are caused to move backwardlyand forwardly relatively to one another and by such backward and forwardmovement, the wire is intermittently grasped by one of the sets of clawsand stretched While the other set of claws move outwardly to take afresh grip on the wire, this operation continuing until the wire is sufiiciently stretched. It will be further more, understood that my improvedwire stretcher is capable of being used to stretch ordinary wire havingno barbs 0r projections by securing a chain to the wire and operatingthe stretcher on the chain, the claws on the arms and the stretcherengaging the links of the chain in the same manner that they would thebarbs on the wire as heretofore described.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is 1. In a wirestretcher, a lever adapted to be mounted for oscillation, arms pivotallysecured to said lever, wire engaging means mounted on said arms, a barloosely engaging said arms and having an integral boss engaging theadjacent sides of said arms, and yieldingly actuated means connectingsaid arms.

2'. A wire stretcher comprising a lever, a link pivotally secured tosaid lever intermediate of its ends, said link being adapted to beconnected to a suitable rigid support, arms pivotally secured to saidlever on opposite sides of said link, wire engaging Copies of thispatent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing theCommissioner of Patents A means mounted on said arms, said arms beingprovided with slots, a bar engaging said slots and having a bossengaging the adjacent sides of said arms, and a retractile coil springconnecting said arms.

3. A wire stretcher comprising a lever, a link pivotally secured to saidlever and adapted to be secured to a suitable rigid support, armspivotally secured to said lever on opposite sides of said link, clawmembers secured to said arms and adapted to engage a wire to bestretched, each of said arms being provided with a slot and the endwalls of each slot being beveled in opposite directions, a bar engagingsaid slots, an integral boss on said bar engaging the adja cent sides ofsaid arms, and a retractile coiled spring engaging said armsintermediate of the first mentioned lever and said bar.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

his I FRANK COLLEY.

mark

lVitnesses:

C. G. Lo'rT, W. B. MARsHALL.

Washington, D. G.

